Author: WBEZ Chicago

Chicago Board of Education postpones vote on controversial loan to pay pension debt. Trump signs executive order closing Department of Education as Illinois comes under federal scrutiny for accommodating trans students. Reset goes behind those headlines and more with Chalkbeat Chicago reporter Reema Amin, NBC-5 Chicago reporter Christian Farr and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mitchell Armentrout on the Weekly News Recap. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar in Logan Square opened in February 2020. One month later, Illinois went into lockdown mode. We spoke with the co-owners – Chase Bracamontes and Aaron Kabot – about how they responded to the moment, what they learned, and what has ultimately made the restaurant successful. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Despite its name, Asian Pop-Up Cinema is going from pop-up film events throughout the year to one big annual film festival in the spring. This year marks its 10-year anniversary. It will run this year from Thursday, March 20, to Sunday, April 13, featuring a whopping 50 films, as well as Q&A sessions with actors, directors and producers. Reset gets a behind-the-scenes look at the festival this year with its founder and executive director Sophia Wong Boccio. We also talk to John Hsu, director of “Dead Talents Society.” For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Emissions from diesel trucks can lead to respiratory health problems, asthma, cancer and even death. But according to a new Northwestern study, adopting similar rules to what are currently in place in California could save 500 lives in the Chicago area and prevent 600 new asthma cases in kids.This measure is currently before the Illinois Pollution Control Board. Reset gets the latest from Brian Urbaszewski, director of Environmental Health Programs at the Respiratory Health Association. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Illinois legislation could bring blackjack and poker to cellphones. But opponents warn it could lead to an increase in gambling addiction, hurt existing casinos and cut into the state’s massive video gambling terminal business. Reset learns more from WBEZ statehouse reporter Alex Degman. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Colorectal cancer can spread to the liver, and once it does, patients are often at the bottom of the list to receive a liver transplant. But Northwestern Medicine is now offering a new transplant option for select patients that involves splitting a deceased donor liver in two parts. Reset hears from the first patient to undergo this treatment, Barclay Missen, and one of the surgeons Dr. Zachary Dietch. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Drivers are being warned to expect massive delays and traffic complications, as the Kennedy Expressway enters its final phase of a three-year construction project. Labor groups are appealing to Springfield to adopt the groups’ own vision for the future of the Regional Transportation Authority. Lawmakers are considering charging Illinois drivers “a road usage” tax. And Metra’s 14 suburban commuter rails – like the Heritage Corridor, the SouthWest Service and the Union Pacific lines – could all be in for a rebranding. Reset gets a transportation roundup from Chicago Sun-Times general assignment reporter David Struett. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Measles was considered eradicated in the U.S., but five years after the beginning of the COVID shutdown, measles cases are on the rise, with outbreaks in states like Texas and New Mexico. Illinois public health officials are bracing for a possible outbreak in the state, as more and more students get exempted from receiving a measles vaccine. Reset checks in with Dr. Mia Taormina, infectious disease specialist with Duly Health and Care. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Chicago lawyers argued in federal court that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has violated immigration law and the constitutional rights of 22 people in the Midwest since January. Lawyers allege that agents had improper warrants and that in some cases, they created an administrative warrant after an arrest. Reset talks to WBEZ immigration reporter Adriana Cardona-Maguigad about the latest, including the case of Julio Noriega, a U.S. citizen who was arrested by ICE in the Chicago suburbs. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.